Yosemite Bear-Vehicle Crashes at Highest Level in Decade-Plus

If you spent three days in Yosemite this month, odds are a car slammed into a bear while you were there. Since Oct. 1, seven black bears have been hit by vehicles inside the park and four have died, bringing 2026's total to 33 collisions—the highest total in more than a decade, with more than two months left, park officials say, reports SFGate. Last year, 28 bears inside the park were hit by vehicles, per National Park Service stats.

Conservationists link the spike to swelling visitation and fall bear behavior: Yosemite's roughly 300 to 500 black bears are roaming as they bulk up for winter, crossing roads more often, per SFGate. The park is leaning on roadside signs, electronic message boards, social media alerts, and its "Red Bear-Dead Bear" markers placed where bears are killed to urge drivers to ease up on the gas. Wildlife advocate Beth Pratt argues that's not enough and is pushing for a stricter reservation system to cap visitor numbers. The Fresno Bee notes that clashes overall between humans and bears was up 52% in 2026 compared with last year, as of mid-September.